Description
Object description
British NCO served with 2nd Bn West Yorkshire Regt (Prince of Wales's Own), 9th Indian Infantry Bde, 5th Indian Infantry Div in Sudan and Eritrea, 1940-1941
Content description
REEL 1 Background in GB, 1914-1931: family; employment; reasons for enlistment in West Yorkshire Regt (Prince of Wales's Own), 1931. Recollections of period as NCO with 2nd Bn West Yorkshire Regt (Prince of Wales's Own), 9th Indian Infantry Bde, 5th Indian Infantry Div in Sudan, 1940: voyage from GB to Port Sudan, 1940; initial impressions of climate; battalion's joining 5th Indian Infantry Div; strength and equipment of battalion; training near Khartoum; incident of officer still thinking in terms of First World War tactics; heat exhaustion and desert sores; relations with European civilians and Sudanese; learning Italian language after East African campaign. Recollections of operations as NCO with 2nd Bn West Yorkshire Regt (Prince of Wales's Own), 9th Indian Infantry Bde, 5th Indian Infantry Div in Eritrea,1940-1941: move to Gallabat area, 12/1940; terrain around Gallabat; Italian Air Force attacks on Gallabat, 12/1940; use of air raid trenches; opinion of calibre of Eritrean levies and Italian troops; need for porter companies; award of Victoria Cross to Second Lieutenant Premindra Singh Bagat of Corps of Indian Enginers.
REEL 2 Continues: taking up positions in Happy Valley at Keren; Royal Air Force bombing of Italian positions; night-time transporting of supplies up mountainside; ineffectiveness of Italian grenades; character of unit positions on mountainside; unit morale; reasons given for necessity of campaign; capture of Italian money and it's distribution; ceremonial surrender of Duke of Aosta; appearance of Italian prisoners of war; NCO's recovery of his pet dog from Italian prisoner of war compound; continuation of civilian life in Asmara; supplying Italian families with army milk; friendship with Italian family; instances of drunkenness and theft by troops; opinion of Indian troops; poor relations between Italian and Eritreans; leaving Eritrea.
REEL 3 Continues: NCO who deserted and his subsequent arrest in Egypt; incident of Sikh prisoner of war who committed suicide after having his hair shaved; swimming in crocodile infested River Atbara, Sudan.